With the exception of the acquisition of Jim Thome, free agency has rarely been a good time for the Phillies. And even that joy was tempered when Thome didn’t help at all, got hurt, and we discovered that we had a younger, cheaper, more powerful hitter playing at the minor league level. I think his name was Howard something. The relevant point here is that the Phillies often struggle with periods of free agency, mostly reeling in veteran middle relievers (but not trading for them, because Ed Wade is gone) and bench players that make you long for the days of Kevin Jordan, Kevin Sefcik and Kevin Stocker (the Phillies issues with middling players named Kevin will be addressed at a later time).
However, just about all the big name guys the Phillies were supposedly going to go after, guys like Schilling, Rivera and Lowell, are either resigned or precariously close to doing so. What this means is that you could probably keep your Yuengling nice and chilly in our hot stove. Because of this, I can think of no better time than now to consider which Phillies deserve a new contract and which should be released.
Aaron Rowand: NO
There is the issue of whether or not Aaron Rowand should be resigned. I have two words for you: Rusty Greer. Much like the former Texas Ranger Greer, Rowand is famous for his balls-to-the-wall (well, maybe chin-to-the-wall) playing style that wins over plenty of fans, especially in Philly.
Centerfielder Aaron Rowan is one of the key Phillies out on the free agency market.
But this style often results in a truncated career, plagued with injuries and stints on the D.L. Greer and Rowand’s stats and playing styles compare very well, which raises a red flag, as Rusty’s career took a nose dive after seven years of playing and about 3,000 AB’s. Rowand stands at six years of playing time and 2,660 AB’s, which is way too close to the magic Greer numbers to justify the six-year, $84 million deal he’s looking for. Sorry Aaron, but that’s what you get for smashing your face to help Gavin Floyd. You shoulda known better.
Tadahito Iguchi: YES
Iguchi is very much a strange case, and that’s not just because he’s from the wacky moon-land of Japan. While he has expressed desire to return to the Chicago White Sox, it might be tough for him to go from the division champs to fourth place in the tough AL Central. And while Lowell is still potentially on the Phils’ radar, Iguchi will come with roughly the equivalent power, runs scored, walks, OBP and defense. Lowell would be an upgrade in terms of HRs, RBIs and other power numbers, but the Phillies already have plenty of that, he says, crossing his fingers and hoping Burrell doesn’t take a giant dump on the team again.
Freddy Garcia: NO
You have a torn labrum. You won one game last year. Every time I saw you pitch, you struck out eight guys but only went 4 and 2/3 innings (these are well-known symptoms of Brandon Duckworth Disease). And lastly, you’re a fat guy with a chinstrap beard. There really isn’t a single thing to like here, and that last point is pretty much a sure sign of evil.
Antonio Alfonseca: NO
Typically, when your ERA is approaching the number of fingers you have on one hand, and you actually have one more finger than most people and this fact still holds true, you’re expendable.
Jose Mesa: YES
True story: When one of my former baseball coaches was a prospect for the Orioles, he had Mesa as a roommate. He was once awoken in the middle of the night by an angry “Bawltmore” man who was armed with a knife and trying to pound down the hotel door to get at Mesa, who apparently had gotten his 14-year-old daughter pregnant. The moral of the story: this guy is nuts. Every clubhouse needs one maniac so spice things up a little bit. For this reason, and this reason alone, we should keep him. And besides, every Phillies bullpen needs a scapegoat. So it's either resign Mesa or hope Rheal Cormier hasn't joined some kind of terrorist sect of the Quebec Independence Party. Or, hey, MarkLeiter probably isn't dead yet. They'd all be good choices.
Abraham Nunez: NO
NO…and beyond that…NNNNNNNOOOOOOOOO!
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